Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Published:
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
Hey all,
This is my review for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. My pal Rachel and I each read the book over the summer and though it would be fun to write our own reviews for you all! Thanks for coming aboard, Rach! You can read Rachel's review here!
Like Rachel, my initial impressions of the novel came by word of mouth. My mother picked up this novel on one of her book hunting adventures and read it right away! She talked about it for weeks and weeks before I finally decided to open it up, and I am very glad that I did!
TGLPPS follows author Juliet Ashton right at the end of WWII in London. Juliet's articles kept the public laughing throughout all the devastation. When we meet her in the beginning of the book, she is working on deciding what her next book is going to be about. One day, Juliet receives a letter from a man she has never met. His name is Dawsey Adams, a quiet handyman from the island of Guernsey. Dawsey reaches out to Juliet, because he had come into possession of a novel by Charles Lamb that Juliet had owned before the war. Over the next few months, Dawsey introduces Juliet to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, a book club that was formed by the denizens of Guernsey Island as a way to pass the time during the Nazi occupation. Soon the other members begin to write to Juliet as well. As she gets to know the members of the society more personally, Juliet's fascination grows, and she finally makes plans to travel to the island to meet them face to face. Little does she know that what she discovers there will change her career and her personal life forever.
The most striking feature of this book is that it is an epistolary novel. In layman's terms, that means the entire book is written in the form of letters. In my opinion, this accomplished the feat of giving each of the characters and strong, unique voice. It was done so successfully, that I could clearly picture each person in my mind! And since we're talking about characters, never in my life as a reader have I ever wanted to visit a place as much as I want to go to Guernsey! I just want to spend time with all of the characters! Yes, I understand that they're fictional beings, but they seemed so lifelike! I'm going to make a bold statement and say that this book had the strongest characterization of any novel that I have ever read!
I'm giving this book 5 coffee beans! If not for the touching but funny plot line of the amazingly lifelike characters, then certainly for it's theme The characters in this book love to read. They will show you that you don't have to have an education to appreciate literature or to enjoy a good book. Anyone who understands what it means to find the magic in reading will love this novel!
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